They say practice makes perfect. And the best place to practice, especially for students who might find generalization difficult, is in the place where the skill actually NEEDS to be used. Yes, we practice skills in the classroom, and work on identifying coins and bills, or knowing whether we have enough money to buy a hypothetical item. HOWEVER, it’s even more important that we put those skills to use outside the walls of our building. That’s one of the many reasons that each of our classrooms builds community learning opportunities into their weekly schedule. Whether it’s making a purchase, crossing the street, exploring cultural and recreational options, or ordering your own french fries in a restaurant, we’re out there practicing … and getting as close to perfect as we can!

Here are some of our high school students, practicing their shopping skills.

And these students used AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) to order food at Pizza Hut!